Guardian series
Encyclopedia
The is an eleven volume series of Japan
ese fantasy novels, written by Nahoko Uehashi
. The first novel in the series, Guardian of the Spirit
, has been adapted into numerous media, including a radio drama, manga
series, and an anime adaption.
Scholastic released the first novel in English in June, 2008. Media Blasters
has confirmed that they acquired the rights to the anime. The series premiered on Cartoon Network
's Adult Swim
programming block in the U.S. at 1:30 a.m. on August 24, 2008 EST
, but was dropped from the schedule without warning or explanation on January 15, 2009 after two runs of the first ten episodes. The program returned to Adult Swim during the Summer 2009 line-up with an airing of the entire series.
. The supernatural plays very prominently into the world of the series, with the physical world being referred to as Sagu and a parallel spirit world being referred to as Nayug.
In the first novel, Balsa agrees to become the bodyguard of Prince Chagum as her eighth and final job after she happens to save his life. Chagum, the second prince of the Imperial family of Yogo, carries a powerful spirit within him and has become the target of assassination by his father, the Emperor. Balsa must protect Chagum from relentless assassins as well as the spirit within her young charge as he attempts to master and understand his own powers.
During their journey, Balsa and Chagum are aided primarily by Balsa's childhood friend, a Yakue healer named Tanda, and his teacher, Madame Torogai. Chagum's tutor, the star reader Shuga, is also featured as a prominent supporting character and strives to learn the truth behind the spirit contained in Chagum's body and restore the prince to his rightful place when he begins to suspect that Chagum is still alive.
size in March 2007. The Moribito and Tabibito strands of the series split after the first book, Guardian of the Spirit, and merge together again in the chronologically final book, Ten to Chi no Moribito.
The series also includes (ISBN 978-4-10-130278-2), a non-fiction volume that includes cooking recipes with photos of the cuisines described in the series.
, appeared in the summer of 2008; the second book's translation appeared in April of 2009. Due to unsatisfactory sales, publishing of the series in the U.S. has since been indefinitely suspended by Scholastic.
and anime adaptations.
television series, produced by Production I.G and directed by Kenji Kamiyama
, which premiered in Japan on NHK
from April 7, 2007. The anime was based entirely on the first novel in the Guardian series and greatly expands the midsection of the novel.
At the Tokyo International Anime Fair
2007 in March, Geneon
announced that they have acquired the license to the anime and Scholastic announced they have US distribution rights to the novels. After Geneon discontinued its distribution division, the rights transferred to Media Blasters
. The series premiered in the United States at 1:30 a.m. on August 24, 2008 on Cartoon Network
's Adult Swim
block, but was dropped from the schedule without warning or explanation on January 15, 2009 after two runs of the first ten episodes.
On June 13, 2009, the series was back on Cartoon Network
's Adult Swim
block in the United States at 1:30am Sundays, but was moved to 2:30a.m. Eastern time, swapping it with Fullmetal Alchemist
in November.
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese fantasy novels, written by Nahoko Uehashi
Nahoko Uehashi
is a Japanese writer, most famous for the series, which sold over 1.5 million copies in Japan. One of her novels, Guardian of the Sacred Spirit has been adapted into an anime television series, a manga, and a radio drama. The same book was published in English from Arthur A...
. The first novel in the series, Guardian of the Spirit
Guardian of the Spirit
is the first in the eleven volume series of Japanese fantasy novels by Nahoko Uehashi. It has since been adapted into numerous media, including radio, manga and anime adaptations. Scholastic released the first novel in English in June, 2008. Media Blasters has confirmed that they acquired the...
, has been adapted into numerous media, including a radio drama, manga
Manga
Manga is the Japanese word for "comics" and consists of comics and print cartoons . In the West, the term "manga" has been appropriated to refer specifically to comics created in Japan, or by Japanese authors, in the Japanese language and conforming to the style developed in Japan in the late 19th...
series, and an anime adaption.
Scholastic released the first novel in English in June, 2008. Media Blasters
Media Blasters
Media Blasters is an entertainment corporation founded by John Sirabella and Sam Liebowitz, based in New York City. They are in the business of licensing, translating, and releasing to the North American market manga compilations and anime and live-action movies and television series to home-video...
has confirmed that they acquired the rights to the anime. The series premiered on Cartoon Network
Cartoon Network
Cartoon Network is a name of television channels worldwide created by Turner Broadcasting which used to primarily show animated programming. The channel began broadcasting on October 1, 1992 in the United States....
's Adult Swim
Adult Swim
Adult Swim is an adult-oriented Cable network that shares channel space with Cartoon Network from 9:00 pm until 6:00 am ET/PT in the United States, and broadcasts in countries such as Australia and New Zealand...
programming block in the U.S. at 1:30 a.m. on August 24, 2008 EST
Eastern Time Zone
The Eastern Time Zone of the United States and Canada is a time zone that falls mostly along the east coast of North America. Its UTC time offset is −5 hrs during standard time and −4 hrs during daylight saving time...
, but was dropped from the schedule without warning or explanation on January 15, 2009 after two runs of the first ten episodes. The program returned to Adult Swim during the Summer 2009 line-up with an airing of the entire series.
Setting
Moribito is set in a fantasy analogue of historical Asia. The setting includes several nations, such as Kanbal, a rugged, Himalayan-like kingdom, and New Yogo, a fertile empire that combines elements of feudal Japan and Southwest ChinaSouthwest China
Southwest China is a region of the People's Republic of China defined by governmental bureaus that includes the municipality of Chongqing, the provinces of Sichuan, Yunnan and Guizhou, and the Tibet Autonomous Region.-Provinces:-Municipalities:...
. The supernatural plays very prominently into the world of the series, with the physical world being referred to as Sagu and a parallel spirit world being referred to as Nayug.
Characters
The series primarily features Balsa and Chagum. Balsa is a wandering spear-wielder from the kingdom of Kanbal. Despite claiming to be a simple bodyguard-for-hire, in reality she wields her spear in order to save lives in atonement for the eight lives that were taken to protect her when she was a child. Chagum is a young prince of the New Yogo Empire, who throughout the series struggles to protect his empire from ruin.In the first novel, Balsa agrees to become the bodyguard of Prince Chagum as her eighth and final job after she happens to save his life. Chagum, the second prince of the Imperial family of Yogo, carries a powerful spirit within him and has become the target of assassination by his father, the Emperor. Balsa must protect Chagum from relentless assassins as well as the spirit within her young charge as he attempts to master and understand his own powers.
During their journey, Balsa and Chagum are aided primarily by Balsa's childhood friend, a Yakue healer named Tanda, and his teacher, Madame Torogai. Chagum's tutor, the star reader Shuga, is also featured as a prominent supporting character and strives to learn the truth behind the spirit contained in Chagum's body and restore the prince to his rightful place when he begins to suspect that Chagum is still alive.
Publication history
The novel series was published in hardback by Kaisei-sha as children's literature, though the series has garnered many adult fans. Shinchosha began its publication in of the series in bunkoBunkobon
In Japan, bunkobon are small-format paperback books, designed to be affordable and portable.The great majority of bunkobon are A6 in size...
size in March 2007. The Moribito and Tabibito strands of the series split after the first book, Guardian of the Spirit, and merge together again in the chronologically final book, Ten to Chi no Moribito.
| Book | Kanji title | Romaji title | Original title, literal translation | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Publication date | ISBN | English publication title | ||
| Summary | ||||
| 1 | 精霊の守り人 | Seirei no Moribito | Guardian of Spirit | 1 Volume |
| July 1996 March 2007 (Bunko) |
ISBN 978-4035401506 ISBN 978-4101302720 (Bunko) |
Moribito: Guardian of the Spirit | ||
| When Balsa saves Prince Chagum of the New Yogo Empire, a boy with a mysterious spirit living inside him, she is hired to protect him from the assassins his father has sent after him and the dangers the spirit inside him brings. | ||||
| 2 | 闇の守り人 | Yami no Moribito | Guardian of Darkness | 1 Volume |
| January 1999 June 2007 (Bunko) |
ISBN 978-4035402107 ISBN 978-4101302737 (Bunko) |
Moribito II: Guardian of Darkness Moribito II: Guardian of Darkness Moribito II: Guardian of Darkness is the second book in the Moribito series, a series of fantasy novels by Japanese author Nahoko Uehashi. It was written in 1999 and published by Kaisei-Sha Publishing Co., Ltd. in hardcover format and by Shinchosha in bunkoban format. The English translation was... |
||
| Balsa returns to the country where she was born to face her tragic past, but consequences of that past, and the secret that lies buried under the mountains, make her task a difficult one. | ||||
| 3 | 夢の守り人 | Yume no Moribito | Guardian of the Dream | 1 Volume |
| May 2000 December 2007 (Bunko) |
ISBN 978-4035402305 ISBN 978-4101302737 (Bunko) |
|||
| People start becoming trapped in their dreams. Tanda's niece, Chagum, and the First Empress all dream of a flower with ties to Torogai's past. Only a man with a supernatural singing voice can save them. | ||||
| 4 | 虚空の旅人 | Kokū no Tabibito | Traveler of the Void | 1 Volume |
| July 2001 | ISBN 978-4035402701 | |||
| Chagum, now the crown prince of the New Yogo Empire, and Shuga are sent bearing greetings to a southern country, Sangal, for the new king's coronation ceremony. However, a black shadow is reaching towards Sangal and the would-be-king of Sangal is fatally wounded. | ||||
| 5 | 神の守り人 | Kami no Moribito | Guardian of the God | 2 Volumes |
| January 2003 (both volumes) | ISBN 978-4035402800 ISBN 978-4035402909 |
|||
| When Balsa encounters a brother and sister being sold by a slave trader, she impulsively takes the girl, Asra, away when she notices the girl has a strange aura. However, Balsa comes to wonder if the girl is a divinely appointed guardian or a child of disaster as a dark secret of the child begins to emerge. As Asra grows fearful of her power, she draws closer to an awful god while her powers are felt in the Kingdom of Rota, now divided in a civil war between the north and south. Balsa must protect Asra from the forces that threaten the girl while eluding Shihana, an undercover agent from Rota who pursues them. | ||||
| 6 | 蒼路の旅人 | Sōro no Tabibito | Traveler of the Blue Road | 1 Volume |
| April 2005 | ISBN 978-4035403104 | |||
| Following the events of Kokū no Tabibito, Sangal is being engulfed by forces from Talsh, which now draws nearer to the New Yogo Empire. In order to protect his country, Chagum must make a perilous journey alone. | ||||
| 7 | 天と地の守り人 | Ten to Chi no Moribito | Guardian of Heaven and Earth | 3 Volumes |
| January 2007 (Volume 1) January 2007 (Volume 2) February 2007 (Volume 3) |
ISBN 978-4035403203 ISBN 978-4035403302 ISBN 978-4035403401 |
|||
| Balsa sets off for the kingdom of Rota to rescue Chagum, the Crown Prince of New Yogo, hitherto believed dead. To protect his homeland from ruin, they undertake a dangerous quest to reach the king of Kanbal to forge an alliance between Rota and Kanbal to end the influence of the neighbouring nation of Talsh, which threatens New Yogo. With Balsa's help, Chagum returns to his homeland after a Talsh attack takes many civilian lives. While Chagum leads New Yogo against the Emperor, Balsa finds her old friend Tanda injured by the war. | ||||
| 8 | 流れ行く者 | Nagare Yuku Mono | The Wanderer | 1 Volume |
| April 2008 | ISBN 978-4035403609 | |||
| A collection of prequel stories to the series: "Uki Momi" (浮き籾), "Rafura" (ラフラ), , and "Kan no Furumai" (寒のふるまい). Tanda, a sensitive eleven-year-old boy, adores Balsa, who is drifting about with her "stepfather", fleeing from a plot against them. They try to find out about a curse in the village and discover the painful secret of a dead wastrel. | ||||
| 9 | 「守り人」のすべて | "Guardian of the Spirit" Your Complete Guide | 1 Volume | |
| May 2011 | ISBN 978-4-03-750140-2 | |||
| A Moribito series guidebook with background information, maps, character insights, synopses, facts, and puzzles and quizzes. It also contains a brand new short story by series author Nahoko Uehashi. | ||||
The series also includes (ISBN 978-4-10-130278-2), a non-fiction volume that includes cooking recipes with photos of the cuisines described in the series.
U.S. Release
The English translation of the first book, published by Arthur A. Levine BooksArthur A. Levine Books
Arthur A. Levine Books is an imprint of Scholastic Corporation which specializes in fiction and non-fiction books for young readers. The imprint was founded in 1996 by Arthur Levine in New York City. The first book published by Arthur A. Levine Books was "When She Was Good" by Norma Fox Mazer in...
, appeared in the summer of 2008; the second book's translation appeared in April of 2009. Due to unsatisfactory sales, publishing of the series in the U.S. has since been indefinitely suspended by Scholastic.
| Title | Publication date | ISBN | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Moribito: Guardian of the Spirit | June 2008 (hardcover) April 2009 (paperback) |
ISBN 978-0545005425 (hardcover) ISBN 978-0545005432 (paperback) |
|
| Moribito II: Guardian of Darkness Moribito II: Guardian of Darkness Moribito II: Guardian of Darkness is the second book in the Moribito series, a series of fantasy novels by Japanese author Nahoko Uehashi. It was written in 1999 and published by Kaisei-Sha Publishing Co., Ltd. in hardcover format and by Shinchosha in bunkoban format. The English translation was... |
May 2009 (hardcover) | ISBN 978-0545102957 (hardcover) | |
Media
Moribito has since been adapted into numerous media, including radio, mangaManga
Manga is the Japanese word for "comics" and consists of comics and print cartoons . In the West, the term "manga" has been appropriated to refer specifically to comics created in Japan, or by Japanese authors, in the Japanese language and conforming to the style developed in Japan in the late 19th...
and anime adaptations.
Radio drama
NHK-FM Radio Drama "Youth Adventure" (Seishun Adventure)- The Guardian of the Spirit (2006) 10 episodes 7/8/2006–13/8/2006 weekdays 22:45–23:00
- The Guardian of Darkness 10 (2007) 10 episodes 16/4/2007–27/4/2007 weekdays 22:45–23:00
Anime
The series has been adapted into a 26 episode animeAnime
is the Japanese abbreviated pronunciation of "animation". The definition sometimes changes depending on the context. In English-speaking countries, the term most commonly refers to Japanese animated cartoons....
television series, produced by Production I.G and directed by Kenji Kamiyama
Kenji Kamiyama
, born on March 20, 1966 in Saitama Prefecture, Japan, is a Japanese anime director. He has worked regularly with the anime studio and production enterprise, Production I.G, such as his work on Jin-Roh, Patlabor, Blood: The Last Vampire, and for whom he has directed the Ghost in the Shell: Stand...
, which premiered in Japan on NHK
NHK
NHK is Japan's national public broadcasting organization. NHK, which has always identified itself to its audiences by the English pronunciation of its initials, is a publicly owned corporation funded by viewers' payments of a television license fee....
from April 7, 2007. The anime was based entirely on the first novel in the Guardian series and greatly expands the midsection of the novel.
At the Tokyo International Anime Fair
Tokyo International Anime Fair
The Tokyo International Anime Fair also known as Tokyo International Animation Fair is one of the largest anime trade fairs in the world, held annually in Japan. The first event was held in 2002 as "Tokyo International Anime Fair 21". The event is held at Tokyo Big Sight, a convention and...
2007 in March, Geneon
Geneon
is a Japanese music, anime and home entertainment production and distribution enterprise headquartered in Akasaka, Minato, Tokyo, Japan. Geneon has been involved in the production and distribution of several anime in Japan...
announced that they have acquired the license to the anime and Scholastic announced they have US distribution rights to the novels. After Geneon discontinued its distribution division, the rights transferred to Media Blasters
Media Blasters
Media Blasters is an entertainment corporation founded by John Sirabella and Sam Liebowitz, based in New York City. They are in the business of licensing, translating, and releasing to the North American market manga compilations and anime and live-action movies and television series to home-video...
. The series premiered in the United States at 1:30 a.m. on August 24, 2008 on Cartoon Network
Cartoon Network
Cartoon Network is a name of television channels worldwide created by Turner Broadcasting which used to primarily show animated programming. The channel began broadcasting on October 1, 1992 in the United States....
's Adult Swim
Adult Swim
Adult Swim is an adult-oriented Cable network that shares channel space with Cartoon Network from 9:00 pm until 6:00 am ET/PT in the United States, and broadcasts in countries such as Australia and New Zealand...
block, but was dropped from the schedule without warning or explanation on January 15, 2009 after two runs of the first ten episodes.
On June 13, 2009, the series was back on Cartoon Network
Cartoon Network
Cartoon Network is a name of television channels worldwide created by Turner Broadcasting which used to primarily show animated programming. The channel began broadcasting on October 1, 1992 in the United States....
's Adult Swim
Adult Swim
Adult Swim is an adult-oriented Cable network that shares channel space with Cartoon Network from 9:00 pm until 6:00 am ET/PT in the United States, and broadcasts in countries such as Australia and New Zealand...
block in the United States at 1:30am Sundays, but was moved to 2:30a.m. Eastern time, swapping it with Fullmetal Alchemist
Fullmetal Alchemist
, is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Hiromu Arakawa. The world of Fullmetal Alchemist is styled after the European Industrial Revolution...
in November.